9/11 Analysis

The 2000s were a tumultuous time in the United States, even excluding the Great Recession that crippled the economy in the latter years of the decade. At the turn of the millennium, in 2000, Americans continued to bask in a post-USSR era, which American political scientist Francis Fukuyama famously argued in a 1989 journal article to be “the end of history” with “an unabashed victory of economic and political liberalism.” Tragically, however, the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 radically altered those optimistic sentiments. The invasion of Iraq in 2003, one of the many actions taken by President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11, began with broad-based political support: continuing the patriotic reaction by most Americans to 9/11, who

The narrator explains that because of the Patriot Act, “the photos had made the rounds through several branches of government, and ultimately, to the US Army itself.” As a result, the military is planning an all-out assault on Iraq. Helped by GOB’s brotherly abuse, Buster finally finishes boot camp and is immediately set for deployment as the WDM frenzy continues. At Michael’s next meeting with Wayne Jarvis, he is again presented by the immunity ultimatum along with the actual photographic evidence taken from the Bluth computer system. Barry Zuckerkorn, Michael’s attorney sees the pictures and immediately exclaims, “Those are balls,” and further clarifies that “This close, they always look like landscape.” A flashback after Zuckerkorn’s revelation shows Tobias Fünke struggling to understand his new picture phone in the bathtub, creating dramatic irony for the audience. The narrator again brings the Patriot Act into the episode by stating “for the second time in two days, the information network put into place by the Patriot Act was put to use.” Soon after, the show cuts to a scene with two fighter jets pulling off their attack after being notified about the “ball” evidence. With this, the episode achieves